Review: The Bucket List

Reviewed by Shelly

This is a new to me author, so as with anything new, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’ve read other full length stories through this publisher that I’ve really liked, but for me this story was bleh.

28 year old Grace is an accountant by trade and one of her clients is pro-wrestler Brett ‘The Wolf’ McAllister. Over the last three years, Grace and Brett have developed a friendship, during which Brett developed a pretty heavy crush on Grace. Grace has always liked Brett but he’s a bit of a player and her past two relationships have made her cautious of Brett’s type. In a moment of spontaneity, Grace makes a bucket list and at the top of the list is Mardi Gras. As her best friend Tia isn’t able to make the trip, Brett volunteers to take Grace and maybe check a few of those things off the list.

I really thought the premise of this story was good. I’m a big sucker for pro-wrestling and who better than show-man Brett to drive the shyness out of conservative Grace. Sadly, I could not get into either of these characters – they weren’t bad or not nice people. I just found myself not invested in them or their happiness. Grace’s personality was flat and immature. The amount of times I read about how her breasts are big was way too much. But what really put it over the top for me…when my interest gradually deteriorated – there’s a scene that happens pretty early in the story (no spoiler here) when Brett and Grace have stopped for gas while on their road trip. Grace sees an attractive woman hitting on Brett, when Brett comes back to the car Grace gives him an attitude and he tells her this priceless statement ‘…stop hating on white women with asses.’ Oh, that’s the game we’re going to play? That’s when I gave up.

Everything after that went downhill but I was determined to read the entire novella.